わり

わり

わりに is a very useful word, but can be a bit confusing. 割り is the ます stem Noun form of 割る, a verb meaning “to split” or “to divide”.
It is usually written as 割 but may be written as 割り. ( is apparently “more” correct, as least when used as a noun/adverb).

Suffix わり

~わり
~Discount

わり as a suffix means “discount”. You can think of it is an abbreviation of ”割引” (Percentage off). 

  • – Early bird discount.
  • 団体 – Group discount.

*Fun fact, 早割 is apparently trademarked or something, and the hotel I worked at was not allowed to say “早割” to advertise an early bird discount. We got calls about this on multiple different online booking sites. 

 

As a counter


10%

割(わり) is a counter that is used to count 10%s. Yes, by 10s.
1割 is 10%, 2割 is 20%, etc.

  • 仕事の6はここで行われている。- About 60% of the work is done is performed here.
  • 給料の7は家賃や光熱費に使われる – About 70% of my paycheck is used for rent and utilities.
  • 人の約1は左利きだ – About 10% of people are left handed.

Please note that while you may say 10割, you will probably not say 0割, nor anything over 10.

 

わりに

・割
Relatively

わりに is a noun + に (Adverbial に)meaning Relatively or Comparatively. This will sometimes appear as 割と, although originally only 割りに was considered correct. (Source)
割りに/と qualifies a statement as a comparison to something else. 

  • このかばんは安い – This bag is relatively cheap (Comparatively cheap).
  • このホテルは割り高い – This hotel is relatively expensive. (Compared to others).
  • 彼は割り優しい人だ – He is a relatively nice person. (Comparatively nice)

のわりに

のわりに
Disproportional to X

Another variation of this is のわりに. When modified by a noun (or verb), you may not use と instead of に.
This phrase typically expresses contrary information, as it relates to something else. 
This is very commonly used with (とし), so much so that you can practically learn it as a phrase. 
This phrase also frequently adds the comparative to become のわりには . (see also には)

  • 割には賢い。- Clever for their age. (Disproportionately smart for their age)
  • お茶割には美味しい – This is pretty good for tea.
  • 割にはいいやつだ – You’re a good “guy” for a dog. (Said by someone who hates dogs)

の割に (and 割に) weakens the statement after it by qualifying it:

  • の割に若く見える – You look young for your age.
  • 若く見える – You look young. 

の割に is basically interchangeable with にしては. (with Nouns)

の割に合わない

の割に合わない
Not worth it

A related phrase is の割に合わない. It is used to express something not being worth it (time, money, etc.)
割に合わない literally means: “isn’t proportional to”., but tends to be used for “worth” statements. 

  • このかばんは値段の割に合わない – This bag isn’t worth its price.
  • その寺は入場料の割に合わない – That temple isn’t worth its entrance fee.

A Note about と and に

Both と and に can function to make the word before them an adverb. Typically, only に is used for non speech/quotable words, however there are certain ”と” adverbs, typically onomatopoeia. 
Some words, however may take either. In this cases, to me, と feels like there is some emphasis on a surprise or unexpected result. 

You should let your experience help you determine which you feel is most appropriate for a situation when they come up. 

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